Three Words
by NakedEmotions
Summary: The story of two boys, utterly alone, who find solace in each other's company. It depicts their lonely start, both deserted and both dealing with it in their own ways- one depressed and one detached- coming together in a bond only they can understand. One eventful day in these youthful lives could be whatever they make of it, the day they fall in love or the day they fall apart.
1. Chapter 1: 'Birthday Buddies'

Three Words

Chapter 1: 'Birthday Buddies'

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters

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Being alone was hard and nobody actually understood how heavy the weight was. People said they hated to be alone but no one really was alone, he thought bitterly. How dare they? How could they say they're so alone when they didn't even know what alone was. How alone he was. They didn't know what it's like not to have parents. They didn't know what it's like not to have siblings. Not to have friends. Not to have any human contact at all some days, except for the shouts and jeers from assholes who think it's funny watching the lonely slowly fade into nonexistence. But Naruto knew he couldn't think that way- no matter what. He was a positive person and his glass was always ¼ full, not ¾ empty! Wow. That sounded pathetic even to him, he thought miserably. It must have been just one of those days, when life threatened to overwhelm him. Sometimes he wished he could just give up fighting it. But he had training- and laundry- to do that day.

Naruto sighed through his nose and opened one eye. Peering around, his room came into focus and he popped the other eye open. Whelp. The start of another day. Crawling out of bed he headed to the bathroom to take a quick shower. Naruto was a shower-in-the-morning kind of guy. He takes super quick showers, because he's never understood how some girls spend 30 minutes just under some water. He began to undress with a quick glance in the mirror.

"YOWZA!"

**. . .**

"It's not like Naruto to be late. I expected this from Kakashi-sensei but not from Naruto. God, he's so stupid, I don't know why..."

"Sakura"

"What, Sasuke? What is it?"

"Shut up."

"Oh, Sasuke, aren't you ever going to get tired of acting like you're mean?"

He knew she was just kidding but since it went against his rules he didn't deign to respond. But truthfully- yeah- sometimes he did kind of get tired of acting like a jerk. But this was the only way. His eyes roved over the skyline estimating the time of day and upon their trace back to the ground they landed on a big blonde knucklehead running up the path to where he and Sakura were waiting. Sasuke couldn't help thinking how tired Naruto looked. Odd, usually Naruto looked hyper and stupid and utterly thrilled to be training for hours on end. A slight curiosity prickled in his mind, nothing to act upon though, of course. Idiot probably lost the keys to his house or something; he shrugged it out of his mind and stood. It was time to out-train these buffoons… again.

"Naruto? Are you OK? You don't look so good?" Sakura just had to stick her nose where it didn't belong. Maybe it physically pained her not to be in someone else's business, he thought mildly.

"I'm just fine, Sakura! You know me, glass always half full!" Glass half full? The statement resonated with the dull and monotone cadences of rehearsal. Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he glanced at Naruto- inwardly shocked that he was almost interested in what his counterpart had gotten himself into.

"Well then, WHY ARE YOU LATE, YOU IDIOT?!" and that was the Sakura time bomb they all knew and expected. Was it just him or did Naruto not seem to have any fight in him today? He certainly wasn't arguing with Sakura. But then again, who in their right mind would argue with the pink-haired menace. Sasuke was having an excessively difficult time fighting his curiosity. It had been a long time since he cared to ask if someone was OK. But he knew he couldn't open his mouth. This was the only way. And in the end, not caring about these people was for the best, he knew.

2 HOURS LATER

Something was missing from this training session. He wasn't performing his best; to prove it Sakura had actually done better than him! He didn't understand this! Maybe his frustration was causing a lack of attention but that didn't explain where his frustration was originating from.

It hit him, suddenly, taking him aback. He wasn't performing up to standards because there was no competition. He hadn't heard a single mocking comment from Naruto through the whole lesson. No "Come on Sasuke, is that all you can do?" No "Wow and I thought Sakura sucked!" No "Wanna bet on it?" or "I could do ten times better than that, Sasuke!" It was almost like his blonde friend had been absent. Sasuke glanced around looking for him. He located the younger boy instantly, slightly apart from the rest of the team, off to the left of the training ground. If this idiot's moping around was going to affect his training it had to stop.

"Naruto," his teammate looked up at the sound of his voice. A small glower hung on his features, "seriously, what's wrong with you?"

"Nuthin. Why would you think there was something wrong?" Naruto emitted a fake chuckle and tucked his arms behind his head, feigning carelessness. Sasuke could spot the facade a mile away. A wary glint weighed heavy in Naruto's blue eyes. Dark shadows hung under those familiar orbs, which appeared somewhat duller today, in a way they hadn't previously. His bottom lip jutted out in a similar manner to a kid fighting tears and for some strange reason- Sasuke actually cared. It was a foreign concept but Sasuke legitimately wanted his teammate to be himself again. Unintentionally, Naruto made him better, and he felt like it was his responsibility to make Naruto better.

"Because you're acting like a kicked puppy. Will you just tell me what's wrong so we can get back to training."

"Yesterday was my birthday." Such a serious face for such a senseless statement.

What the hell did that mean?! He hadn't anticipated something that domestic and didn't have any response prepared for it. So he did what he does best and said nothing.

"Yesterday was my birthday and no one noticed. Or if they did notice they didn't care!" Naruto's speech slurred and his volume increased with each word.

"Sshh! Do you want the others to come over here and find you in this state? They'll think you're weak!"

"Sasuke why doesn't anyone care? Why don't I have a mother to make me a cake or a father to get me a present? Why don't I have a friend to say Happy Birthday? Or a.."

"Because mothers are overrated, a father wouldn't love you anyway, and friends just hold you back!" He startled himself at the vehemence in his words. He hadn't meant for it to come out that way, or really to say that at all. "Look, Naruto, I don't have any of those things either and I'm fine. My birthday went unnoticed and I didn't whine like a girl."

Naruto flushed at his words but didn't argue like Sasuke expected. "You're right! I never told you Happy Birthday either! When's your birthday Sasuke?"

"July 23rd." He answered automatically, before he was able to cease the flow of words. How could he forget the rule drilled into his head since age seven? He was just compelled to answer Naruto's question. But he'd never lost control like that before. Sasuke had to remind himself to say as little about himself as possible. That was the only way. But there was something about this weakened Naruto who blushes instead of fights that made him want to keep talking. To tell him whatever needed to be said to get him back to normal.

" OK, well here's an idea! We'll be birthday buddies! Since neither of us have anybody for our birthdays we'll spend them together. I'll celebrate your birthday and you'll celebrate mine starting on July 23rd. That way we'll never have to be alone again."

Sasuke wanted to tell him that he liked spending his birthday alone. That he would never need a "birthday buddy" and that if he had to say that word again, even in his head, he'd punch Naruto in the face. But none of that was true. Sasuke couldn't help but admit to himself that Naruto's idea didn't seem that bad at all. "Whatever." Was how he managed to respond.

"Well that's settled! Let's get training." Naruto smiled. A huge smile that encompassed his whole face and Sasuke found himself glad that he had stopped to help his friend. The boys stood together. Naruto held out his hand to shake on the "birthday buddies" agreement. Sasuke glanced down at the offered hand and raised an eyebrow. He walked off towards the training ground without shaking the other boys still raised hand. Sasuke couldn't tell if walking away was a good idea. It seemed like the best route of action at the time but the stunned and crestfallen expression that played across Naruto's features as he turned, denying the hand weighed on him. He had worked so hard to make Naruto feel better and it kind of hurt that he had hurt him. So by 10 steps away it was obvious that he had to fix it.

Sasuke turned and glanced back at his friend, whose arms hung limply at his sides. A smirk arose on Sasuke's face, "Happy Birthday Naruto."

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**OK! This is my first time doing this, so I hope someone likes it!**

**Reviews, suggestions, support- all would be helpful!**

**More of the story will probably be up soon.**


	2. Chapter 2: Being Watched

Three Words

Chapter 2: Being Watched

Disclaimer: Just a reminder, I still don't own any of the awesome characters, ect.

The last chapter had a split within it separating Naruto's P.O.V. (where it started) from Sasuke's. That was to get the story started. This chapter is just from Naruto's side of things. The next will be a Sasuke chapter followed by another chapter from Naruto's P.O.V. and just for good symmetry the last chapter will split Sasuke's P.O.V. from Naruto's (where it will end). I probably didn't need to say all that but I just wanted everyone to understand that I did this in the name of symmetry.

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It only took three words from Sasuke to make everything feel better. To make the hurt and sorrow and depression run teeth and tails back into the little red locked box in the back of his mind. Who knew his rival would be the one to give him that relief.

With renewed vigor Naruto trained, yelling and shouting the whole time. Kakashi and Sakura noticed the change, Naruto suspected, but both had the class not to mention it. Training was tough like always- and like always Naruto reveled in the challenge. He didn't perform better than Sasuke and he didn't perform better than Sakura, Kakashi wasn't proud of him and he still had to go home to an empty house but he looked at the day with new eyes. It was like his own Sharingan had activated that lead him out of the darkness, because he wasn't going to be alone on his birthday next year.

The promise of Ichiraku Ramen kept him going and he was ecstatic when he finally plopped down on the stool in the shop. Dinner with his team, on Kakashi sensei of course, had sort of become a tradition and he looked forward to his favorite food with his favorite people. Usually it was a quiet meal. Kakashi-sensei read his novels, Sakura stared at Sasuke, pretending Naruto didn't exist, and Sasuke hated Ramen and usually doesn't interact with them anyway. So any conversation responsibilities fell on him; but Naruto's stomach always rumbled and his mouth always filled too quickly with food to make small talk.

This meal was different than usual. Not in the conversation, which as always was nonexistent, but in the environment. Feeling like static was in the air, Naruto peeked around out of the corner of his eyes. He had no idea why the change, what had happened, or what it meant. Really he only cared about two things: filling his stomach and… nope just filling his stomach. He did, however notice that Sakura was lost in thought, which was unusual as it interrupted her nightly routine of watching Sasuke. Kakashi on the other had taken up her post, since he seemed to be watching Sasuke intently with a frown on his face. And Naruto wasn't sure, and wasn't going to look and see, but he was quite sure Sasuke was watching him. There was no reason he could think of as to why and he didn't know what to do about it, but unless he was hugely mistaken- he thought he was being watched by his dark haired birthday buddy. He would get to the bottom of that mystery soon enough but right then he just wanted to eat.

Trying to slop the least amount of stuff on himself, since he was being watched, kept him occupied for most of his dish. But eventually, Naruto's mind began to wander and it came to rest on the storm scheduled for tonight. He peered up at the sky, searching for the upcoming nightmare. A storm cloud, moving in from the East, presented itself to Naruto's depressed eyes. He hated thunderstorms, especially since he spent them alone. He felt childish admitting it but although the lightning intrigued him, the thunder frightened him and he always endured the whole storm under a blanket. Maybe he should get a ninja hound, Naruto thought idly- to keep him company and protect him from thunderstorms.

The skid of chair legs announced Sasuke's departure. "I'll be going. Kakashi…" with a nod to Kakashi and one last glance in Naruto's direction Sasuke lazily drifted in the direction of his home. Now was as a good as time as any to get to the bottom that mystery!

Naruto jumped up quickly, "Thanks Kakashi-sensei!" and he sped off after Sasuke without a fleeting look at the remaining members of Team 7.

"Sasuke!" panting, he caught up to his friend, who slowly turned on the spot to look Naruto in the face.

"What do you want, Naruto." It wasn't said as a question, but Naruto had expected this kind of prickly attitude.

"Why were you watching me, creeper?" Whoops. What was that thing Sakura had said once that he needed? Tact? Yeah… that probably could have been done with more tact. Maybe he should be taking discretion lessons from her. Actually he should probably be taking tact lessons from Ino, if anyone, because if you were to ask him- Sakura didn't possess any more tact than he did. She always yelled and growled and snarled and that just doesn't seem very cool either.

"Naruto, pay attention. Did you hear me?" Naruto shook his head. "I didn't think so. I said: You're delusional. Get a life. Go away. Can you handle all of that?"

"Don't be stupid. I saw you watching me, you can't hide it, and I wanna know why. Are you mad because I kicked your butt during training?"

Sasuke's pale cheeks turned pink as a slight blush overcame his features. Naruto could never remember a time in his life when Sasuke, _cool, stupid Sasuke_, looked bashful. "Yeah, Naruto. That's it." He scoffed. "Like you could ever beat me in training, Naruto. I will always be better than you, Naruto!"

"Uh… Sasuke? Why do you keep saying my name?" He felt his face contort into a confused grin as he watched his friend's face change. Sasuke's eyes widened, shocked (at what Naruto didn't know), and his pink cheeks turned red with the brushing of anger.

"Go away, Naruto."

It only took three words from Sasuke to make everything feel worse.

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**This chapter was slightly shorter than the last, so I'm sorry if they all tend to be a little long.**

**I hope anyone who liked the first chapter is still enjoying this!**

**Reviews, suggestions, and support- all would be helpful :)**

**Aaah! See the arrangement of these sentences?**

**It looks like an upside down pyramid... **

** Conformity & Symmetry**

**It's nice!**

**:D**


	3. Chapter 3: Pinned You

Three Words

Chapter 3: Pinned You

Disclaimer: I have not, nor will I ever, own these characters.

It took me a little longer to get this up than the other chapters, but that's OK! Better late than never, right? So here it goes! :)

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Sasuke could see rejection flash across those sky blue eyes. His stomach squirmed. Why _was_ he saying Naruto's name? Why was he thinking Naruto's name? What was happening to him? Is this an illness brought on by lack of sleep? This peculiar sensation needed to be solved immediately, before anyone else began to question. And Sasuke turned, and fled. His face was hot, his chest was cold, and his stomach was in knots, but he ran. He needed to be alone. To think.

Home and a shower. That's what he needed. Sasuke was a shower at night kind of guy. A shower always unwound him. He spent 5 minutes washing and 25 minutes pondering the world or whatever else happened to materialize in his mind's eye. This was his 'me' time and there was nobody in the world capable of invading his 'me' time. Except maybe this time there was.

Naruto. _Naruto_. **Naruto**. Naruto_. Naruto_. **Naruto**.

The word kept repeating through his mind, a constant loop.

Shake it off, he told himself. Lose yourself in the water. Only a shower contains the ability to wipe away stressed minds and leave behind a blank canvas. Calm. The water was stinging just the way he enjoyed it. Sasuke could feel the steam-inducing water caressing his arms and neck. But it was burning. The way it would burn if sun-tanned fingers gently stroked there. He slammed his hands against the wall of the shower and his eyes shot open. NO.

Maybe the water was a bit _too_ hot. Yeah, it was definitely a bit too hot in there. Hastily, Sasuke turned the faucet to a more mild setting. Luke warm should be safe, he thought.

With a deep breath, he closed his eyes a second time. Training went well today; once the Naruto bump resolved. Naruto…

Think of the water, Sasuke reminded himself. "That's an order, Uchiha." He mumbled aloud to break the silence. He loved hot showers but this luke warm business wasn't half bad. It kind of felt like drifting in an ocean, the way the water covered his feet and ran down his back. Or at least, Sasuke assumed an ocean felt that way. He wouldn't really know. He supposed, the only time he thought of what an ocean felt like, he pictured- ocean blue eyes. Glistening with unshed tears and hurt in every crease of a youthful face; a blonde head of spikes and arms hanging loosely at his sides, looking exactly like a kicked puppy. WHOA! Where the hell did that come from?! OK, Sasuke decided it was definitely time to get out of the shower. This water messed with his head.

He toweled off, threw some boxers on, and went to the kitchen for some food, seeing how he ate nothing at the Ramen Shop. Oddly enough, after that peculiar shower, Ramen sounded strangely appetizing and he couldn't think of a better dinner. But he hated Ramen and certainly didn't own any. My, My. Whatever should he do?

He picked up the phone and dialed 7 digits. "Naruto?"

There was a pause on the other end. "Yeah?"

His throat dried and he gulped audibly. "This is Sasuke Uchiha." He worried, did that sound awkward. Too formal?

"I know." A smile seemed to influence that sentence. Was that idiot laughing at him?

"I was curious if you could do me a favor?"

"Well that depends." Sasuke could picture the golden boy's lip jutting out as he said this and he knew what came next. "What is it and what will you do for me?"

"Look, Naruto. I don't feel well and I was really wondering if you could pick me up something to eat and bring it to me." He swallowed loudly. "Please? We're teammates."

"What's wrong with you? You looked normal at supper. Besides when you…"

Sasuke interrupted quickly, cheeks burning in embarrassment. That was the last thing he wanted to talk about. "Just do it."

He clicked the button before anything more could be said, cutting Naruto off mid-sentence. Would he come? This was most likely a colossal mistake. He groaned. Laundry needed to be done tonight too. He hoped Naruto could come and go before the storm really got started.

Waltzing off toward the laundry room he heard a banging on the door. Definitely Naruto, he assumed. That was undeniably a Naruto knock. But that was speedy. Really speedy. His lips formed a smile quickly before he consciously took it down.

"It's open!" he shouted in the general direction of the door. "Come in and put the food on the counter."

He could hear Naruto roaring as he came through the house, "It's funny I've never been here before. I'm not surprised; I pretty much expected it to be this…" Sasuke smirked at the image of the expression that most likely currently resided on Naruto's face- child-like and scrunched in confusion. "Blank. This blank." And Sasuke's smirk streaked off his face. His eyebrows rose as he reached the kitchen and leaned against the door frame of the entryway.

Once both in the kitchen, he frowned at Naruto's ridiculous grin.

"And what's that face for?" He asked, crankily.

"Well… you're in your underwear! Why are you in your underwear?!"

His eyes widened. How could he have forgotten something like that?! It wasn't his fault; he hadn't had time. "Doing laundry," he mumbled defensively. "I forgot. I'm sorry- I'll be right back. I have to put something on."

Naruto shrugged, grinned maniacally, and remembered why he was there. "I brought me Ramen and you chicken noodle soup because you weren't feeling well and you don't like Ramen. Oh, and just leave it. It's your house; you can wear what you want."

"I feel fine now. I don't know what that was about. I actually wanted Ramen for a change. I'm surprised that's not what you brought." He could feel the frown settle more firmly onto his features, his brow furrowed, forgetting his near nudity. He thought he knew Naruto better, that there was no way this giggling idiot could blind-side and startle him.

"Oh." Naruto regarded the Ramen in his hands before holding it out to Sasuke. "Here take mine. I ate enough at supper anyhow."

Sasuke was reminded of Naruto offering his hand to be shook earlier that day. He had turned away from his only friend that time. He wouldn't make the same mistake twice, this time he was going to make the right choice and take what was offered. "Thanks, Naruto. Come on, we can eat in the sitting room on the couch."

Naruto gestured for him to lead the way and with Sasuke in front they entered the living room. His hyperactive guest bounded over to the couch first and splayed down in the center. Odd, who sits in the middle? Sasuke shook his head at the absurdity of this boy– who follows no social norms whatsoever. Sasuke gracefully sat on the edge of the couch trying not to touch Naruto's long legs and turned on the television. He tossed the remote into his friend's lap. Naruto's head snapped down to look at the remote between his legs and Sasuke's eyes followed, before he blushed pink and turned away. Dudes don't do that. Be cool, he breathed. This was the first time anyone had been to his house- it was kind of stressful.

"This is the first time I've been to someone's house." The sun-tanned blonde stated mildly while he flipped through television channels. How did he know what Sasuke was thinking?

Sasuke gave a small smile, "That's because no one likes you. You're such a loser." Naruto's lips quirked down. And Sasuke mentally berated himself. "But it's OK because this is the first time anyone's ever been to my house." The confession hung awkwardly in the air for a moment. Until Naruto put his hand on the darker boy's shoulder.

That appeared to be all the words necessary for the moment. The boys lapsed into silence, while Sasuke took a few bites of his Ramen and Naruto became engrossed in the end of a TV show he must have been familiar with. Sasuke finished rather quickly, however, when he was reminded how much he hated Ramen, and set the bowl aside.

Naruto watched him set it down and before it even hit the table he asked, "Are you not finishing that? Don't let it go to waste!" He held out his hand for the Ramen Not giving Sasuke the chance to hand the dish over he sighed loudly and reached across Sasuke to get it. The skin on his friend's arms grazed his bare chest. Skin on skin for too long and somehow not long enough was warm, startling, and Sasuke jumped up with a yelp. The spot on his chest was hot, burning even- just like he imagined it would. And now his face burned too. He looked at Naruto, afraid and with an apologetic expression. His friend was red faced as well.

With a tiny stammer, Sasuke finally managed to spit out "I have to check the laundry." And began to exit.

"Hey!" Sasuke cringed mortified. Was Naruto going to mention this? Now? "I'll do it for you. Since you're… uh… not feeling well and stuff. I can find my way to wash room."

With a lightheaded nod he sat back down as his friend left to do his washing. This, by far, was the strangest thing that had ever happened to the usually calm and collected youth. He took a deep breath, not that this method had worked last time. He knew he could handle this maturely. A shout caught his attention. Naruto?! The holler accompanied a loud screeching noise and many bumps and smacks. What the hell was going on in there?! Sasuke dived off the couch and made a bee line for the wash room.

He stood outside the laundry room door for a split second. No time at all but long enough to see the stream of bubbles steadily flowing from the crack under the door. He barged through and slipped immediately. Soapy bubbles covered every inch of the relatively small space, crawling 6 feet up the wall and hiding every aspect of the room- including the washing machine and the boy he loved. Upon slipping, Sasuke had flown face first into the heap of bubbles. Spluttering and coughing, sweet air found his lips.

"Naruto!" he screamed, "You idiot! Where are you? And what did you do?" The boy he loved? Had he thought that? Why would he think that? No, he mentally shouted, Sasuke Uchiha would never think something like that. Sasuke Uchiha didn't love anyone and didn't need to. For God's sake, he had made himself asexual, for all intents and purposes, by forcing his emotions to escape him.

A hand grasped his arm and another pulled him sharply to the right. He smacked into a body, a tan and muscled body, under a soaked and see-through white shirt. A hand attempted to hold him steady but slipped off the suds on the skin of his arms and chest. Finally, the arms clenched him in a giant bear hug just to keep him steady.

"You're done falling?" Naruto screamed over the screeching washing machine.

Sasuke pushed his friend off of him and almost slipped again, causing him to take the offered hand for balance, which he promptly dropped again. "What the hell happened in here?" He screamed, gesturing around at the sudsy pyramids surrounding them.

"I'm not really sure! It just started spitting bubbles everywhere. Buuut…" Naruto wiggled his eyebrows suspiciously and nudged Sasuke's shoulder with a crazed grin on his face.

"Naruto, you dick!" Sasuke shrieked as the playful push forced him to go plummeting down on the slippery tiles again. This time he was not going down alone, he swiftly latched on to Naruto's white shirt. The blonde's eyes flew open mid-chuckle and with a smile he toppled down on top of Sasuke's lean body. Sasuke hit the ground, hard, but laughing the whole while. He took a breath to calm the laughing, feeling Naruto's panted laughs on his chest. "You are _such_ a loser."

Naruto pulled himself up off of Sasuke's chest with his hands on the tiles on either side of Sasuke's face and smirked down at the boy with inky black hair whose laundry room he had just demolished. "Even you have to admit that was hilarious. I've never heard you laugh before, you know? It sounded so strange but you should do it more often. It changes your whole personality." With a slight tilt down at the lips he added, "Girls would love it."

"Are you a bit jealous?" Sasuke beamed and wrapped his legs around the bigger boy's abdomen, pressing their bodies together, and using the counterweight to flip them over so that Sasuke could look down on Naruto. Their bodies grinded together on the soapy floor and Sasuke didn't blush this time. The shocked expression the boy beneath him openly displayed was enough for him to know that he wasn't the only one who felt that and this wasn't anything to be ashamed of.

"Pinned ya." He smirked.

"Oh no you didn't " Naruto instantly responded to the challenge presented. He squirmed. Sasuke shivered and took a sharp intake of breath in response. Naruto bucked in a thoughtless attempt to throw him off and so to gain the win. A low, short grunt issued from between the pinned boy's lips and Sasuke could feel his physical reaction beneath him.

WHOA. NO. NO. NO.

Sasuke leaped up and slipped and slid all the way to the door. He didn't know what the hell that was but it definitely wasn't him. That was the heat of the moment and the frustration of the situation at hand, nothing more. That couldn't happen again. If not simply because he feared what that sort of thing was becoming then because it distracted him from his ultimate goal. This problem was seriously getting in the way of the plan. Why did that golden-haired idiot with the overwhelming smile and cerulean eyes so deep you get lost in them have to ruin Sasuke's mission. Why did Naruto make it so hard for him to follow his one rule- don't get close to people. It had to be that way! It was the only way he could finish his mission, finish what he had started so long ago when his brother disappeared. He sprinted into the sitting room leaving soapy prints behind. Face burning and chest heaving, he threw himself onto the sofa and stuck his face in his hands, resting his elbows on his knees. NO. NO. NO. For a moment, he thought he was going to be sick.

He heard Naruto's squishing soap prints slowly following his own trail. Sasuke listened until the walking noises stopped right in front of him.

"Sasu.." His voice melted Sasuke's body. It sounded like honey on a sunny day, all warmth and sugar. It made Sasuke's body limp. Well most of his body.

"You should leave."

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**OK! So I finished one more chapter and the story is moving along nicely!**

**Reviews, Suggestions, and Support would be cool :)**

**Hope it was enjoyable!**


	4. Chapter 4: Childish Fears

Three Words

Chapter 4: Childish Fears

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Naruto or their back stories!

So this is one more chapter to a story I fear is coming to an end too quickly. This due to an incoming flow of new story ideas and an increasing work load taking it's toll. So although I am pouring my heart into this story, in hopes that someone will enjoy it, the end is coming much too soon. So... here it is- the second to last chapter?

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It only took three words from Sasuke to make everything feel wrong. His thoughts came to a grinding halt. Naruto had no clue what had happened and no idea what he had done wrong. What he did know was that something strange and fascinating had happened in there! Something just a little different and at the same time all too familiar. He just wanted to understand what was happening to himself. What was happening to his friend? Naruto frowned, creasing his forehead and pushing his lip out, the telltale signs of a pout diffusing across his face.

"Don't, Naruto." Sasuke cringed again. "Just don't."

Naruto inhaled deeply. "The laundry room- I should be the one to fix that."

"Just leave it. Just leave."

Shame from the unconcealed rejection burned the back of his throat and stung his eyes. To be honest, Naruto didn't fully understand why he was having such a strong reaction internally to Sasuke's words. How many times had Sasuke rejected him in the past? You would think he'd be used to it by now. His thoughts ran in circles until another all too horrible thought seized his mind. It had been raining for hours, the thunderstorm was sure to be in full swing. "Sasuke," He said the name breathy, quietly, and Sasuke shook. In anger? Fear? Naruto couldn't tell. "Is there any way I could stay here tonight? My clothes are soaked and it's storming outside. I'll get really sick if I walk home in this. Please?"

Sasuke said nothing.

"Please?" Naruto repeated. Naruto knew Sasuke was his friend; surely he wasn't heartless enough to make him walk home in a storm.

"Guest room. Second door to the right at the top of the stairs. Stay There. Don't touch anything."

His voice hit Naruto's ears harshly, cold and distant, it gave Naruto the sense that he had lost a friend tonight rather than gained one. "Do I have to sleep in these wet clothes?" He grumbled.

"Yes." The sharp answer rebounded from the walls, echoes making it sound harsher than probably intended. But with a shake of the head Sasuke promptly revised, "There should be clothes in the dresser in the guest room." That was the last thing spoken before the inky haired boy stalked out of the room. Naruto heard his footsteps pad up the stairs and disappear. He could honestly say this might be the most awkward situation he'd ever found himself in.

A clash of thunder shook the walls of the house. Naruto leaped about three feet into the air and gave a loud yelp of terror. The long, lonely, terrifying night of a thunderstorm had begun. Sprinting up the stairs and into his designated room, he bounded for the dresser. Quickly, quickly, he chastised himself. He needed to get to the bed and under the covers before the next peal of thunder. Why did the sky punish him this way? Naruto fidgeted with the ancient wooden dresser that looked more like a relic than a functional piece of furniture. Hurry, hurry he kept thinking, prancing from one foot to the other. When the drawer finally unveiled its contents, he groaned internally- that would have opened up much more swiftly if his body would just refrain from shaking.

His mouth dropped in horror. What in the world? There were only boxers in here, he thought, rummaging desperately. What is with this man and boxers? When his fingernails scraped wood Naruto had to admit that the bottom had been reached and he succumbed to defeat picking up a pair. He pulled out blue plaid boxers and hastily changed into them. Without turning the lights off, he dashed to the bed and covered up just in time for the next earth shaking clap of thunder that reverberated through the house. Shaking, a tear slid down his face. He cried because thunder terrified him. He cried because he hated considering himself weak, even in regards to childish fears. He cried because he hated being alone and had gotten his hopes up that this time maybe he wouldn't be.

That hope wilted in his chest. Why had he thought that Sasuke would make this storm any more bearable? Simply because he felt comfortable in Sasuke's presence? Why would he think that would be enough to make a difference? And what was Sasuke's problem, why was he such a bastard? A devilish plan sprang into concoction. With this he settled his mind. He didn't want to be alone this storm. Earthworming himself into the comforter, he took care to assure that all of his body was hidden. It wouldn't even have been possible to see his tiny tan face if you didn't know where to look. Naruto stumbled out of the room, his haste making him noisy. Hobbling down the narrow hallway he crossed the threshold of the stairs and continued, shuffling right up to the door Sasuke had disappeared behind. Or at least the door he was pretty sure Sasuke had vanished to. Should he knock? A good two minutes passed, with nothing but deep thought on Naruto's part until he decided on a course of action. It's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. If he asked for entrance, Sasuke would undoubtedly say no and the conversation would be short and incredibly awkward. If he just went in he wouldn't have anything awkward to answer to until morning. And with another loud bang from outside the decision set itself in stone and Naruto opened the door and shambled inside, slamming it shut. He hustled over to the king sized bed with the black vine comforter, dropped his own covers, and slid in. For all his efforts at silence his weight still displaced air in the mattress and his leg tapped Sasuke's.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sasuke asked accusingly, eyes squinted. No trace of grogginess cloaked his words, indicating that he had not been asleep.

Damn. Here goes the awkward. Naruto decided the best route was to be quick, blunt, and to the point. Like ripping off a Band-Aid. "Please let me stay? I'm afraid of thunder. I can't be alone like this."

"Get out."

"Please?" Sasuke looked unyielding. "Please, Sasuke? Please?"

With a sigh, he rolled over dramatically. "That's your side, this is my side. Don't cross the line."

Naruto's heart leaped. Finally he wouldn't be sitting alone crying fearfully on a stormy night. He dived under the blankets. The bed shook with another thunder crash. He shivered and scooted closer to the "line" Sasuke had invisibly drawn. And then he scooted over it. Not far over it, but over it. The thunder crashes seemed to be getting farther apart. Did that mean the storm was passing? But, now that he wasn't alone Naruto really didn't care if the storm passed or not. Naruto decided to press his luck by pushing himself farther over the line. And farther. Until he was close enough to touch Sasuke. Close enough to grasp Sasuke's arm or the fabric of his boxers. Close enough to pull the cranky boy to his body and keep Sasuke safe from the thunder while Sasuke kept him safe.

Sasuke grunted. "I can feel you getting closer, loser. Back away." Sasuke's angry voice did absolutely nothing to deter Naruto. If anything it made him to get closer to Sasuke in some crazed attempt to make Sasuke understand.

"But Sasuke, the thunder. You're my birthday buddy!" he whined. "You're supposed to keep me company."

"I feel like it's pointless to mention that it's not your birthday. So I'll just stick to a more valid argument and say that I'm not your birthday- whatever."

Naruto grumbled, "What about storm-buddies? Is that something we can be?"

Sasuke didn't respond. Naruto momentarily questioned whether Sasuke had fallen asleep but came to the conclusion that he was most likely just ignoring him. It was fairly evident by Sasuke's uneven breathing that he was not asleep. But that didn't bother Naruto. He, too, rolled over to face the opposite wall and closed his eyes with a smile. A few more thunder clashes and shivers later he drifted into sleep, with his friend beside him and sweet dreams filling his flaxen head.

His eyes, gummy and sleepy, cracked open with a yawn and he began to stretch when he noticed a pale face not two inches away from his own. Black locks fell down in front of Sasuke's face. He slept rigid straight on his side with just one hand stretched out- close enough to touch. And his lips. His thin lips, so pink against his pale white skin were turned up into an unveiled, innocent sort of smile; the kind of unguarded emotion Naruto didn't think Sasuke was capable of displaying. He was close enough to kiss those lips. But Naruto knew that although many of his ideas were bad, that was the worst one yet. But, the urge would not leave. And Sasuke, asleep with his lips slightly parted, would never really have to know, right? Yeah. That sounded right.

Naruto bridged the tiny gap between their bodies and gently, soft so as not to wake him, pressed his lips to Sasuke's. Barely any pressure at all, he thought. He would definitely get away with this one.

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**I hope this is going well and that I am pleasing people!**

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**The end is nigh! :)**


	5. Chapter 5: Finally

Three Words

Chapter 5: Finally

Disclaimer: Just another tedious reminder that these adored characters are not of my creation.

It took me quite a while to post this, because college life is busy! I'm almost certain that this is the last chapter. This is the end of my little story. I had a blast writing it and have already started on another idea. I really do hope many people enjoyed this and here it is! Remember, this is Sasuke's chapter and the break in the story is where Naruto's part begins.

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Sasuke awoke to the brush of warm lips. How he wished he could stop having dreams like these, their likeness to reality was uncanny. Finally, the sensory information sparked through his sleep-muddled mind; he was in fact being kissed and that dobe was in his bed. That left little confusion as to what was happening. And as the lips moved away from him an emptiness settled in his chest. He needed that back. Sasuke reached out his arm, placing his hand on the nape of the neck in front of him, short hair tickling his fingers. He pulled the body back and returned the kiss he so greedily needed.

Slowly, languidly, Sasuke pushed Naruto's body back down flat against the sheets, never breaking lip contact, and slid on top of the other boy. His right hand, currently against Naruto's chest, moved to pin Naruto's arm and slipped up above their head to twine his fingers with Naruto's. His left hand moved to rake through Naruto's hair. With a tender tug on Naruto's flaxen locks, Naruto broke out of his shock and responded without hesitation. With both participants engaged the gentle kiss livened up, becoming frenzied and rough. Naruto moved both hands to Sasuke's waste, feeling his lust-heated skin.

"Finally." The soft growl emanated from Sasuke's throat under no volition of his own mind. And he felt Naruto's lips quirk into a smile under his own. He tugged at the boy's short hair again, trying impossibly to get Naruto's face closer to his own. This was it. He wanted no space between their bodies, their lips, or their minds. And there wasn't. Twining together, their bodies merged. His body was Naruto's and Naruto's was his and each touch left a tingling trail of heat behind. Tugging Naruto's hair appeared to be the correct thing to do for every time he did so, Naruto gave a soft sigh against Sasuke's lips and a shiver under Sasuke's body. His thumbs dipped into the lining of Sasuke's boxers and Sasuke's lower body pressed against Naruto's in surprise.

With an internal groan, and a quiet whisper of 'oh no' Sasuke lurched off of Naruto's body to sit on the edge of the bed, where he pulled his knees against his chest in an attempt to cover his mostly bare body. Sasuke's eyes opened for the first time that morning.

Breathing heavily, flat on his back, Naruto turned his head to peer at Sasuke with excited, electric blue eyes. "Wow."

Sasuke turned to glare at the boy with distaste. But the muscles of his face wouldn't create the appropriate expression, and he was left staring in disgusted wonder at this boy, this man, who pushed his limits and tempted his heart. His coal colored eyes traveled the length of Naruto's boxer clad body, starting at Naruto's lips and stopping imperceptibly on Naruto's muscled chest and the bulge in his boxers. He shook his head violently to force himself to stop and bolted out of the room into the hallway and out the front door, with Naruto hot on his tail.

He could hear Naruto calling and yelling in the background but it was just too hot in that room and in that house, he just couldn't breathe. "Sasuke, what's wrong? What was that?" was a constant refrain arcing from behind him. He skid to a halt some 10 feet from the front door when a certain pathetic realization struck him. Sasuke, the last Uchiha, with all the dignity that entails was currently standing outside, in his orange boxers, in the pouring rain and he couldn't quite remember how to breathe. It's just inhale, exhale right? That never used to be this hard to remember. What was happening to him? Lightheaded and freezing he slumped to the ground, tears suddenly springing from his closed eyelids.

Without a second thought the beautiful and caring blonde collapsed onto his knees in front of Sasuke and reached his hands out to clasp Sasuke's shoulders.

From somewhere seemingly far away in the dark, Sasuke heard Naruto's voice, "Sasuke! What _is_ WRONG?!"

"How did that happen?" he stammered. "What was I thinking?"

"Hopefully the same thing I was or this could get awkward." Naruto stated dryly and Sasuke gazed into Naruto's cerulean eyes, silently pleading for an explanation.

His expression turned stony. "This can't happen again. You need to leave, Naruto."

"I will not. This had to happen. Because you're all alone and I'm all alone and we deserve for it not to have to be that way. I need you, I can't leave." Naruto reached a finger to wipe the trail of tears off of Sasuke's cheek. His finger was rough, which Sasuke knew it would be, and he fell into the touch so that Naruto's calloused hand was forced to open and cup Sasuke porcelain face. His vision of not being alone broadcasted perfection. Maybe being alone, always pushing people away and holding them at arm's length wasn't the only way as he had previously thought.

"Sasuke? Please?" Naruto's raspy, husky voice pleaded and he knew that there was just no way to say no to that. To not make that voice and those puppy-dog eyes happy.

Sasuke crinkled his face in defeat. Thinking far ahead and logistically, like always, he sighed and asked, " OK. So say this happened. That it's happening. How do we do this? What happens now?"

Naruto chuckled. "I figured you'd say something like that. Can't we just do what feels right and let it flow however it flows?"

Serious as ever, Sasuke's face was wiped carefully blank, "No. I need to know." His deep onyx eyes darkened. "We can't be ninja now. They won't ever let _us_ into the Anbu. We'll be ridiculed. And… and Sakura is going to _kill_ you, Naruto."

"I don't think the Anbu can keep great ninja like us out just because of what we do behind closed doors. Tsunade would never let that happen. And, wait! What do you mean _me_?! Why just me? Why won't she kill you too?"

"She loves me." Giving Naruto the best 'Duh, you should have known that, idiot' look he could muster, he shrugged.

Spluttering and flabbergasted Naruto really had nothing to say to this. It pleased Sasuke. So even this far out of his element, groping in mental darkness and confusion, he could still one-up his blonde beauty. "Well. Well. Well, Hinata's going to kill you, Sasuke!"

He snorted. Now that was funny. And at the same time it startled him to realize that the apparently naive Naruto had actually known about the Hyuga girl's feelings all these years, when everyone thought he was oblivious. "What's she going to do? Stammer at me until I pass out from laughing too hard?" That was a little harsher than he intended because even he, Sasuke, had to admit Hinata had grown a lot stronger of late.

He breathed a heavy sigh from his nose. The humorous tangent of this conversation had momentarily caused him to forget the seriousness of the problem at hand. And his despair came flooding through his body all over again, like lava in his veins. He wanted this. So why couldn't he have what he wanted, just this once? But that's not how it works. The rule is: don't get close to anyone. It's the only way; he scolded himself again, hoping this time the message would sink in.

"Sasuke. It wouldn't be that bad. You're just looking at the bad, like you always do. I told you this can't affect our careers. And not to sound harsh but- I'm an orphaned demon-child and you're the orphaned left-overs of a dead clan with a psychotic s-rank criminal brother. They already ridicule us, so nothing will change in that department. The only thing this will change is that we won't have to be alone anymore. I'll have you and you'll have me. I only see good things out of this. We won't have to spend nights alone. Or storms. Or holidays. We can share our problems so our burdens don't threaten to overwhelm us anymore. We can do this," he paused to brush his now cold lips against Sasuke's rain wet face, "anytime we want. Sasuke." Another hesitation to collect his thoughts. Freezing to the bone, in his soaked underwear and sopping hair flopping down into his face, Sasuke looked up into Naruto's gaze and examined his expression. This fool was serious. "Sasuke. Together. Can't you imagine? Don't you want to be with me forever?"

"No. That sounds terrifying. Were you trying to convince me to say yes or to run? Maybe you should try a different tactic." A smile lingered on his lips and Sasuke knew that this knucklehead who was so unbearable and annoying had _somehow_ convinced him. This was his life now. And once a decision was confirmed in Sasuke's mind it stuck, because otherwise nothing was ever accomplished.

Naruto, unaware of Sasuke's mental battle, was still advertising his affection, "I will help you get revenge on your brother. I will help you through training. I will give you children- somehow, I haven't quite figured that one out- so that you can still have your stupid clan pride. I'll even learn to knit booties for said children if that's what you want. I will…"

"Naruto." His interruption left the younger boy mid sentence with his mouth hanging ajar. "Shut up." He stood up out of the mushy, rainy bracken and offered a hand to the blonde. Naruto took the offered hand without hesitation. Sasuke couldn't help thinking about the ease with which Naruto made a decision like that and how difficult that same decision had been for him the day before. How could Naruto give his heart and spirit away so easily? He latched onto Sasuke's outstretched hand. Sasuke heaved him up and wheeled him into his arms.

"You are such a loser." Feeling Naruto's head under his chin, he flexed his arms, strengthening the embrace. "I love you."

**. . .**

Nestled in Sasuke's embrace, his face pressed against a rapidly pounding chest, Naruto's eyelids fell shut and he smiled. It only took three words from Sasuke to make everything feel right.

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